Method and apparatus for seasoning electric lamps or similar lamps



Jan. 11, 1944- s. R. EADE ETAL METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SEASONING ELECTRIC LAMPS OR SIMILAR LAMPS Filed April 4, 1942 Trme Fig.1.

lRun Up Maximum Perioa VON-age 1 Loedin Period Period t InGreat lution of the turret, follows the Patented Jan. 11, 1944 rm'rnon AND APPARA ING ELECTRIC LALMPS Ion, Coventry,

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Stanley R. Eade, Rugby, and William H. England, assignorl to General Daw- TUS FOR SEASON- HVIILABLAltfl Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application April 4, 1942, Serial No. 437,724

Claim.

to iollow a definite "program" or schedule relative to the lamp's rated voltage. Such-agingis necessary to insure that the lamp will not are out when it is first placedacross the full line voltage; to also in the blned.

and in the case of coiled-coil filaments,

filament. A preliminary'separate or comprocess may require that the lamp be burned on a supply whose voltage talls'with, and

is careiullyrelated to, load current? Mass production which they are delivered after completing the process wherein it is burned for a period at a, varying voltage which is caused necessitates theme of a 'rotating machine towhich lamps are fed and from Britain May" a 1941 help secure the desired grain structure It will be appreciated that the basic principle of our invention may be carried into eilect in a number of diflere'nt ways, and we will therefore describe one preferred arrangementwhich employs a mechanical design similar to the usual form of small induction voltage regulator.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates this arrangement, Fig. 1 is a chart showing a typical form of voltage schedule to be applied wherein provision is made for loading and unloading the machine during a zero voltage period; Figs. 2 and 3 diagrammatically show the circuit arrangement and construction of our preferred method and apparatus in which an induction voltage regulator provides a voltage which is used to buck and boost the applied line voltage, thus giving the desired voltage cycle on any lamp orzg ro ip of lamps during rotation through approximately on'e complete revolution of the rotor.

Referring to Fig. 2, each individual lamp l or group oi lamps is connected in series with one burning period outlined above. The usual form 01 machine is arranged to connects. multiplicity of separate lamp sockets points during rotation of the machine'by means of brushes co-operating with sectionaiized slip rings. A disadvantage ment lies in the need 01 the multiplicity of volved, and a further for careful maintenance disadvantage is apparent brushcontact points in of the rotating coils or secondaries 2 wound in the magnetic circuit of the rotating portion of to appropriate voltage of this type- 01 arrangefrom the necessarily discontinuous nature of the voltage schedule or program. Our invention has for its object the elimination of these two disadvantages and the production of an equipment 01' more simple and rugged design.

The essential requirement in our method is that all or part oi the electrical energy supplied to the lampscarried on the rotating member or turret oi the machine shall be transferred to the lamps from the stationary portion oi. the machine by electromagnetic means. Furthermore, our apparatus is so arranged that to each lamp, as the lamp moves through its circular journey during one revolution or part, revorequired schedule by suitably determining the angular distribution of the flux wave co-operating with the magnetic circuit or circuits attached to the rotary member.

The present invention consists in transferring electrical energy to a lamp or group of lamps, while they are'being rotated, so that each lamp or group of lamps receives current from an independent source and the variation of applied voltage is dependent oi the lamp or grou the voltage applied the machine, and the so-connected lamp and secondary coil connected to a source of current supply by the aid of a pair oi brushes and slip rings 3. For simplicity, we show only four lamp circuits, but it will be appreciated that this number may be greatly exceeded and will in fact be determined by the required aging period and the required output of the machine. It will be vunderstood that Fig. 2 is purely diagrammatic and does not represent the actual construction of the machine. The flux co-operating with the rotating windings 'or secondaries 2 of the induction regulator is provided by a" stationary primary winding 4, and therequired angular distribution of inagnetomotive force (MMF) is attained by a suitable choice of the pole are to pole pitch ratio on the stationary member, and also if necessary by suitable grading of the air 'gap between the stationary and rotating parts of the induction regulator.

on the instantaneous position The general mechanical arrangement of our preferred construction is shown diagrammatirally in Fig. 3, from which it will be seen that we make use of the induction regulator to form the basis of our design. The stationary member or primary of the induction regulator is shown at 5 and this is rigidly secured to the machine stand. The coil 4 of theprimary 5 is connected by conductors .i I, I2 across a source of current supply. The rotary member 6 is carried on bearlugs which rotate on the column I of the fixed member, and the necessary slow rotation of the ing with a worm wheel 9 fixed to the base 01 the rotor. The rotor 8 is provided with spiders or lamp support arms l having sockets l3 for carrying the lamps i to be processed, the said support arm-s i0 being clamped or otherwise secured to suitable ears or lateral extensions ll projecting out from the rotor body 6. The rotor coils or secondaries 2 of .the induction regulator are mounted on the rotating member or turret 6 of the machine so as to rotate around and inductively couple with the primary or stationary member 01' the induction regulator. One end I! of each rotor coil 2 is carried out and connected to its lamp or group of lamps and the other side of the circuit is completed as previously described by the aid of conductors i5, i1 and a pair of slip rings and brushes indicated at 3.

As the rotary member 8 rotates, the secondary schedule. Thus, the voltage supplied to each lamp may be made to follow the schedule shown in Fig. 1 wherein the loading period is that period, during the rotation 01' the turret 6 and the associated secondary coils 2, when the induced voltage supplied to each lamp fully bucks or counteracts the applied line voltage so as to result in a net zero voltage across each lamp. The run-up period indicated in Fig. 1 is that period, during the continued slow rotation of the turret 6 and associated secondary coils 2- about the primary coil 4, when the induced voltage supplied to each lamp gradually changes first from a maximum bucking" value to zero value,

and thence to a maximum boosting value so as to add to the appliedline voltage and'thus supply a maximum voltage to each lamp. The .maximum voltage period in Fig. 1 is that period, during the further rotation oi! the turret ,6, when the induced voltage supplied to each lamp remains at amaximum "boosting value so as to supply, along with the applied line voltage, a maximum aggregative voltage to each lamp for effecting the aging of the lamp. This maximum voltage period is then followed by a final run-down" period during which the induced voltage supplied to each lamp gradually changes from a fully "boosting character back to a fully bucking or counteracting character wherein it fully bucks the applied line voltage so that the net voltage supplied each lamp returns to a zero value before the start of the next loading period immediately following.

It will be appreciated that the method outlined is only one of various possible ways in which our proposal may be carried into effect. The whole of the energy supplied to each lamp might, for instance, be supplied by the secondary 2 by-transfor of the energy thereto from the primary coil and the schedule of voltage changes modified in any desired manner. Furthermore, the functions of the primary and secondary coils might be reversed.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent oi the United States is:

1. The method of seasoning an electric lamp which comprises connecting the lamp in series with one of the inductively co-operating coils 01' an induction voltage regulator, connecting the said series-connected lamp and coil to the poles of a source 01' current supply, connecting the other of said inductively co-operating coils to the poles of the said source of current supply, and rotating the rotor of said induction voltage regulator to thereby produce an induced voltage in the said series-connected lamp and coil circuit which will alternately buck and boost the line voltage applied to the said series-connected lamp and coil circuit.

which comprises connecting the lamp in series with the secondary coil 01' an induction voltage regulator, connecting the said series-connected lamp and secondary coil to the poles oi. a source of current supply, connecting the primary of said induction voltage regulator to the poles of the said source of current supply, and rotating the rotor of said induction voltage regulator to thereby produce an induced voltage in the said seriesconnected lamp and secondary coil circuit which will alternately buck and boost the line voltage applied to the said series-connected lamp and secondary coil circuit.

3. Apparatus for seasoning an electric lamp comprising an induction voltage regulator having a stator ancla rotor provided with coils arranged to inductively couple with each other upon rota tion of said rotor, a socket on said rotor for supporting the electric lamp thereon, means to ro- 4 tate said rotor, conductors connecting the said rotor coil in'series with a lamp in said socket and across a source of current supply, and other conductors connecting the stator coil across the said source of current supply.

4. Apparatus for seasoning an electric lamp comprising an induction voltage regulator having a stator provided with a primary coil and a rotor provided with a secondary coil, a socket on said rotor for supporting the electric lamp thereon, means to rotate said rotor, conductors connecting the said secondary coil in series with a lamp in said socket and across a source of current supply, and other conductors connecting the said primary coil across the said source of current supply.

5. Apparatus for seasoning electric lamps comprising an induction voltage regulator having a stator' provided with a primary coil and a rotor provided with a plurality of secondary coils, said primary coil and said "secondary coils being ar-'- ranged to inductively couple with one another upon rotation of said rotor, a plurality of sockets on said rotor for supporting a plurality of electric 2. The method of seasoning an electric lamp' lamps thereon. means to rotate said rotor, conductors connecting separate ones of said secondary coil in series with a lamp in separate ones of said sockets and across a source of current supply, and other conductors connecting the said primary coil across the said source of current supply.

STANLEY R. EADE. WILLIAM H. DAWSON. 

